Last Stop
by A.H. Nox
Summary: Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons Oneshot. The Big Four fanfic. They retreated into a gloomy, uninhabited area to rest and heal. The battle was not easy on any of them. NOTE: this isn't for a good read. I purposely made it really messed up. WARNING: super sad, character deaths, T for medium violence, some fluff if you squint


**A/N:** I wrote this on a whim. Prompt was to write anything about this picture. [christiangerth. deviantart art/The-Three-Witchy-Sisters-264572344] I wrote a fanfic. This is Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons. Enjoy!

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It was the last place they could go. It felt as though they whole world was after them, but that wasn't true. The four friends had made some dangerous enemies who knew their way around the world. They couldn't escape easily. As they stumbled into this desolate area, one was holding another. None of them could walk by themselves. So arm in arm, they walked.

"Have we gone far enough, do you wonder?" A red headed girl hissed at the group. The other three didn't answer.

"Hopefully." The silver haired boy said solemnly. Two girls and two boys made their way into the last hut, to put some space between where ever the came from and their destination. The dark haired boy assisted the red head into a chair and sat on the ground next to her feet. The other girl helped the pale boy onto a hammock and walked around listlessly looking for anything to bind their wounds. Unconsciously, she kept checking behind her to make sure her long hair wasn't tangled with something. However, each time she looked back in the corner of her eye, he felt a deep loss. Her hair was gone, and she was left with brown choppy hair. But more than the simple loss of beauty was the healing properties they brought the team. She could have healed her team, if the enemy had not held her captive and cut her hair short. But she faired better than her team.

The energetic Jack had been hit the most. A couple ribs were broken and his left eye was swollen shut. Bruises accented his face, along with his arms and torso. His right ankle was sprained and his arm probably fractured.

The fiery Merida was covered in cuts. Not coming in close contact with the enemy, she was spared from major injuries. However, cut ran up and down her body from arrows shot her way. Of course, there were actual wounds where the arrow had entered into her body. Those wounds were on her thigh, shoulder, and back.

Hiccup's mission during the fight was to find and retrieve Rapunzel. Though he couldn't fight as well as the other two, he was better with strategies and using his head. He was able to find Rapunzel and break her out of her cell, but not without consequence. As they were trying to escape, a man came and cut a deep wound in his arm, causing him to start losing a lot of blood. Having been returned her frying pan, Rapunzel knocked out the man and cried as she ripped her skirt to make bandages.

Miraculously, they were able to slip away. Rapunzel was crying again. The whole team watch in stillness. Jack wanted to walk over and comfort the, now, brunette with a tight hug. Merida wanted to do the same. Hug their saddened companion. Hiccup moved towards the youngest member and gripped her hand. Halting in her sobs, she looked at each of her teammates and fell to the ground in more tears.

"I'm so sorry I can't do much more. I…I…" Rapunzel choked on her words.

"Punzie. You can't do that to yourself." Merida whispered, petting the girl's hair.

"If anyone should be saying that, it's me. Don't be too hard on yourself. You did the best you could do. We all did," Hiccup said.

"They're right, Rapunzel." Jack spoke from his hammock.

"Jack." The blonde went to his side, gripping his cold hands. She sat there next to the silver haired boy, silently crying. They were all determined to fight and emerge as victors when the war began. However, things looked more grim as the months passed.

Rapunzel went to work cooking for the four of them. She had the best use of her limbs, and the best at it. Though the meal wasn't heavenly, all of them ate thankfully.

Getting ready for bed, Merida offered to properly style Rapunzel's hair. At the moment, it was messily cut and uneven. There was no care put into it at all. Rapunzel quietly agreed, shedding a tear when the locks of hair that fell were indeed brown.

Jack was the first to sleep. Merida decided she was going to take first watch and informed Hiccup he'd be up next before he turned in for the night. So the night came and went without any troubles. Merida's wounds were being carefully flushed out, along with Hiccup's gash. Jack had to be left alone for the most part, any major movement caused him great pain. Though it didn't stop the team from trying to help heal him. Half of the cleaning was done by Hiccup though. The girls decided to at least give Jack some space, and they themselves weren't bold enough to see their friend stark naked.

The first day Rapunzel ventured outside for more food, was a week after their arrival. She didn't travel far and came back in thirty minutes, right before Merida was going to go after her. The next day, she traveled a bit further, warning her friends that she might be gone for longer. And she was gone for about the same amount of time. She realized that if she walked a bit closer to the mountains, there was a clean stream that originated from the mountains. Excited, she had ran back. The next few days, the blonde was gone frequently, fetching water and fish.

After a few days, Merida was able to go with her. Hiccup stayed to keep Jack company, which the silver haired boy jokingly lamented.

On the way back, Merida went pale. Rapunzel, who had her back turned, couldn't see what the red head did, until the archer dropped her bucket and ran off. The little brunette nearly fainted in horror when she realized what Merida did. There were three pillars of smoke rising from their hideout. Her throat clenched as her body began to move her closer to their hut, the hut Jack and Hiccup hid. When she reached the house, no one was there. At least, no one threatening. Numbly, she walked through the door way, the floor creaking underneath her. The fire was blazing around her, but it was still small compared to the other two, but it was growing quickly.

Jack and Hiccup were laying together, surrounded by parts of the hut burning. Rapunzel couldn't tell through her tears, but she knew that they had died before the fire started. What was worse was Merida's condition. She was wounded worse than when they arrive at their refuge. Weeping, Punzie slung one of the red head's arm around her neck and proceeded to help her out of the burning hut.

They got halfway to the door when the ceiling began to creak. Adrenaline pumping, Rapunzel dragged and threw Merida out the door to safety while she herself was crushed by the weight of the hut. Merida lay in anguish as she watched the fire lick away at her companions, her family. A lone warrior from the enemy side came back to check on what had unfolded. Seeing the barely alive girl, the man paid his respects and put her out of her misery.


End file.
